(Acts 20:7) What day did they really meet on?

Acts 20:7a (ESV): On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread There has been a lot of debate over the years regarding this verse (as well as MattithYahu 28:1, Markos 16:2, Loukanus 24:1, and YoKhawnawn 20:1), as most English Bible translations would have us think that The first day of the week or suns-day is mentioned at least 5 times in the New Testament/Renewed Covenant. But are they correct? Most christians would take this at face value and say Of course it refers to suns-day, as suns-day replaced the old Shabbawth Day, however most messianics would say that No, this is actually a corrupted translation of the Greek, as it actually is referring to one of the 7th Day Shabbawths, not to a suns-day. Lets first deal with the christian interpretation of this verse. While it could be true that this is referring to the first day of the week, I must here and now ask one question: where does it say that they had changed the Shabbawth Day from the 7th Day of the week to the first day of the week? So even if the apostles along with all the other called-out ones gathered together to break bread on the first day of the week (in this one, solitary place in the NT), it is hardly a verse showing that they changed YHWHs Day were supposed to rest on. So even if the christian's translation was correct [again, weve not began to look at the Greek yet], their interpretation of the verse is far off track. They have used far too much eisegesis (reading one own opinion into the text) as compared to exegesis (getting ones opinion out of the text). Unfortunately, the messianics claiming it should be translated as one (7th Day) Shabbawth are not correct either. Mainly because the word they would like to translate as Shabbawth, is actually in its genitive, plural, form and so is the definite article before it (the). If the Greek transliteration of /Shabbawth, and the definite article before it, were to be in their singular form, we would actually see , instead of . Therefore, if we were to transliterate this phrase in its plural form to coincide with the plurality of the Greek, it would have to be transliterated as the Shabbawths instead of the Shabbawth. So while the christians interpretation of this verse is far off, many messeanics totally mistranslate this verse as well. As it should actually be understood to read at the beginning of the 7 weeks [7 Shabbawths=49 days] leading up to the Feast of Weeks, a.k.a. Pentecost, and not as on the first day of the week. So, not only is the messianics translation off, but the christians interpretation as well.

A close look at the Greek: (Acts 20:7, Mattith-Yahu 28:1, Markos 16:2, Loukanus 24:1, YoKhawnawn 20:1) Here it is translated, with the Greek words in brackets: On the () one () of the () Shabbawths () Ignoring the definite articles (as we dont really need to look at them to be honest), we should concentrate on exactly what and are referring to. Firstly is .. is the adjective, dative, singular, feminine form of the Greek number , meaning ONE. It does however have numerous other meanings: FIRST, chief, main, singular, only, merely, alone, someone, anyone, certain person, unique, unitary, unanimous, ONE OF TWO OR MANY, once for all, and same. As you can see, there are many choices to choose when translating just this one word in the NT. So, I really cant find fault with the translation of first by the christians who created the ESV translation. That is a satisfactory choice as a translation of . Nevertheless, where on earth did they get the word DAY from? Its not there in the Greek, so why have the ESV translators put it in? I could blame it on christian tradition and their attempt to turn this into some sort of justification for their interpretation above, but then would that be a correct assumption? There are actually quite a few clues we can look at in the NT as for adding the word day into the English translations, none more apparent than in MattithYahu 26:17a. The usual translation is as follows: Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread. But the Greek is as follows: Now, () on the () first () of () Unleavened (). As you can see, the word DAY is missing from the Greek text, and so is the word bread. However, how is one to make sense of this verse, if the word day is not included? Now, on the first of Unleavened really isnt very good English. The word day has to be included for us English speakers, but for the Greeks one doesnt have to be as explicit as we English speakers do. Everything has to be spelled out for us English speakers in order to make sense out of our sentences. On the first of Unleavened could only mean to the Greek reader, the starting day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread ( being the Greek word used to designate the Festival of Unleavened Bread).

This coincides with , because not only is in MattithYahu 26:17a the adjective, dative, singular, feminine form of the Greek , a word not dissimilar in meaning to the Greek /one ( being a numeral, an adjective), coinciding with being the adjective, dative, singular, feminine form of the Greek , but the fact that is the genitive, plural, neuter form of the Greek , coinciding with which is the genitive, plural, neuter form of the Greek . The only difference between Acts 20:7 and MattithYahu 26:17 is whats used to indicate the word first, and whats being talked about. This means that day can be implied when it is to make sense in English. If we look at the parallel passage to MattithYahu 26:17 in Markos 14:12, we see the following: And () on the () first () day () of () Unleavened (). As you can see, this is nigh-on identical with MattithYahu 26:17, but Markos has used the conjunction instead of (a very common difference between MattithYahu and Markos on parallel passages and stories theres a reason theyre called The Synoptics, along with Lukanus), and has also included the Greek , meaning day. Both have omitted the word bread. Markos is being more explicit than MattithYahu, but the meaning of both verses is the same: On the first day of Unleavened Bread. Just because one has omitted the extra noun (/day), it doesnt mean theyre speaking of a different event. So, whilst day isnt contained in the Greek Scripture the word can be implied or meant, even if the author doesnt explicitly use it. Loukanus is writing in Greek and not English, so expecting English word usage and grammar to be incumbent in the Greek is quite silly. Greek is not English, and English is not Greek while we have many loanwords from Greek in the English language, they hardly follow the Greek spelling of the word, and we certainly dont follow their syntax and grammar. Theres a reason why those who only look at the root of words from a Greek-English Interlinear shouldnt attempt to translate Greek theyre not going to get even a remotely accurate translation of the meaning across. Theres a lot more to translation than people realize. There is therefore a discussion on what is meant by the plural form of (Shabbawths) here in Acts 20:7, as well as in MattithYahu 28:1, Markos 16:2, Loukanus 24:1 and YoKhawnawn 20:1. Not surprisingly, we should look to the Torah to find our answer, after all the NT is but the OT upon its fruition. So, after the Shabbawth during the festival of Unleavened Bread, what does YHWH tell the YisraAilites? Leviticus 23:15-16: You shall count seven full weeks from the day after the Shabbawth, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the Wave Offering. You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh Shabbawth. Then you shall present a grain offering of new grain to YHWH.

In the Hebrew, what word is used for weeks? Thats right /Shabbawth. And in what form? Again plural. The usage of the Greek , Shabbawth in its plural form, is a Hebraism meaning Weeks, being a transliteration, rather than a translation of the Hebrew ( as to translate into Greek would be a day of rest). Further proof of this is the fact that the Greek phrase that weve been discussing only ever appears between the feasts of Unleavened bread and The Feast of Weeks, after the 7th Day Shabbawth. It appears in MattithYahu 28:1, the day after the Shabbawth in the week of Unleavened Bread, which is also true for Markos 16:2, Loukanus 24:1, and YoKhawnawn 20:1. And in Acts, it appears between the feast of Unleavened Bread [Acts 20:6 (the word translated as after should actually be translated TOGETHER WITH)] and The Feast of Weeks (Acts 20:16). There can therefore only be one conclusion as to what the meaning of is day one of the days of weeks (or even upon the first Shabbawths), weeks being a Hebraic reference to the 49 days leading up to The Feast of Weeks. Therefore, One of Weeks can only refer to the first day of the 49 days that lead up to the Feast of Weeks. And as YHWH tells us in Leviticus 23:15-16, the first day leading up to the Feast of Weeks is the day after the day that you brought the sheaf of the day offer day after the (7th Day) Shabbawth from the wave that you brought the Firstfruit. [ SeewaveAntiquities of the Feast of- First-fruits, which ] always, . -ing, the Feast of sheaf of the also: offering the Jews book 3 chapter 10 - section 5 according to Scripture, falls on the day after the weekly Shabbawth Day. Conclusion: So they (the christians and messianics) are both 100% wrong the only logical translation is the first of Weeks/Shabbawths, which is a reference to the Feast of Firstfruits, as it is the first day of Shabbawths/Weeks,. which just happens to fall the day after the 7th Day Shabbawth the first day of the week a.k.a. - a suns-day. The followers of The Way, in Acts 20:7, were not gathering together on a suns-day because the Shabbawth Day had been changed unto another day they were gathered because they were following YHWHs command to assemble on the Feast of First-fruits,. which just happens to always coincide with the pagans reckoning of suns-day. {2 Timotheos 2:15} Make every effort to Study diligently thineownself, acceptable - being ready at hand before Eloheem, a teacher that needs not to be ashamed, preaching correctly the Word; the Truth.
And Remember:

WisdomNeverLiesInkedToThePagesCoddledByABook ButRatherAtRestSupplyAboutTheInsideOfOpenMinds ThatRenderTheConfoundsThereof.